John Cleese to star in new television comedy series

Never say never.

It was only in 2015 John Cleese was saying there was no way he would work at the BBC.

Now comes news he will feature in a brand new sitcom with them.

The new series is called Edith and will also feature Cleese’s Clockwise co-star Alison Steadman (below).

In the 1986 film they played husband and wife, but this time they will play old flames whose rekindled romance hits the buffers when her 50-year-old son moves back in.

The son will be played by Jason Watkins (below).

This will be Cleese’s first leading role in a television series since Fawlty Towers finished in 1979.

In the late 1960s Cleese co-founded Monty Python, has been a screenwriter, producer and comedian and starred in a number of movies from A Fish Called Wanda to the last three Shrek films.

The Edith series is being penned by writer Charles McKeown, a satellite member of Cleese’s Monty Python crew.

 “These are the most enjoyable scripts I’ve been sent in the last 100 years,” Cleese said in a statement from BBC.

“It will also be particularly nice to work with Alison again since we joined forces in Clockwise all that time ago.”

In the same statement Shane Allen, Controller, Comedy Commissioning said “If you had carte blanche on your fantasy BBC One comedy cast then you’d not be far off the Edith line-up.”

“It’s also a huge pleasure to welcome John Cleese back to the land of BBC sitcom – his last one did alright. This is the cream of British talent giving the BBC One audience the very best comedy on television.”

What is your favourite John Cleese moment?